Connected Timer lets you create a timetable with named intervals, and have it count down on multiple devices at once.

Create the timetable and enter each interval and duration. Then, join the timetable on other devices by running the app, and selecting the timetable when it appears. Start the timetable from any device, and they will all count down together.

You could use it to:

Run concurrent one-on-one interviews or exams with multiple stations

Set up intervals for team fitness training

Co-ordinate a round robin tournament

Connected Timer uses Nearby services to discover timetables on devices that are within earshot. Once the device has joined the timetable, Nearby is no longer needed and the countdowns will continue if the devices are moved apart.

This update introduces a new Android Wear companion app. It allows you to log remotely from either your phone or your watch, using the sensors in either.

The image on the left shows the apps connected to each other and logging in dip/strike mode. The white phone & watch icon (below the GPS location on the phone, and below the strike line on on the watch) indicates which sensors are being used. In this case, the phone sensors are being relayed on the watch.

You can switch sensors from the menu button -> ‘Remote Logging Mode’ on the phone (hidden if your watch isn’t currently paired), or by swiping right on the watch. From this menu you can also use voice recognition to remotely change the rock type or log comment.

You can save the record from either device, and the record will be stored in the current log file on the phone as normal.

When logging on your phone, the wear app starts automatically. You can also start logging from your watch – change the remote mode to launch the app on your phone.

If you prefer logging with the stereonet, the wear app shows it too:

If you don’t have a Wear watch, you can also log remotely using a wired headset button to trigger the save.

Note: the free version of Rocklogger demos this functionality, but you need to upgrade to be able to save records.

The latest Rocklogger update allows paid users to plot logs on custom basemaps. This post is a brief guide on how to get maps from several different sources onto your phone.

Use your own custom basemaps

You can plot Rocklogger records on your own maps created in MapInfo or any mapping program that exports GeoTIFF, or other common formats such as MrSID, ECW, JPEG2000, Erdas HFA, NOAA BSB etc.

Export your map (GeoTIFF is the preferred format, as it retains coordinate information).

Slice the map into tiles. The free MapTiler.org program creates a hierarchical directory of z/x/y .png files, which is all Rocklogger needs (choose Google Maps compatible). Other options are the paid MapTiler.com or MAPC2MAPC , which can also export in MapBox or RMaps format, and can join multiple input files together.

Copy the result to your phone.

Add the layer in Rocklogger. If you chose MapBox or RMaps as the output, just go Add new layer->MapBox/RMaps and select the file. Otherwise, from Add new layer choose File, and point Rocklogger to the root directory that you copied.

MapTiler uses the TMS specification, meaning tile Y values increase from south to north rather than north to south, so you need to check the Flip Y axis box when adding the layer. More information. In general, if you can’t find the basemap after importing, try checking this box.

Using web map tiles

You can add maps from any site that serves web map tiles. In Rocklogger, go Add new layer->URL, and enter a url with {z}, {x} and {y} parameters. Examples include:

Creating offline web maps

You can save web maps to a MapBox file for offline use using Mobile Atlas Creator. This tool allows you to choose the map source from a predefined list, and download all tiles for the area and zoom levels you choose. You can then add the layer in Rocklogger via Add new layer->MapBox/RMaps and select the MapBox file. You will need to check Flip Y axis for these too.

This update introduces the ability to plot records on custom basemaps, which you can load from a number of sources (paid only):
-Web map tiles, eg Open Street Maps
-MapBox/RMaps database
-Hierarchical z/x/y directory of tile images
-Zip file of the same directory structure

You can also send log files via NFC from the map, stereonet and edit screens, which is useful eg to send logs to a tablet for easier interpretation while offline. If there are photos in the log, they are transferred via Android Beam (using Bluetooth), otherwise the log file itself is transferred instantly.

Full changes:

-v1.9 27-01-13

-Plot logs on alternate basemaps from various sources including MapBox, zip files and the web (paid only)

This update lets paid users display a live stereonet plot while logging (either in addition to, or instead of the normal dip/strike symbol). It plots as a pole or plane depending on the plane type (orientation logging mode). The normal orientation mode has been renamed to planar, but axial is still the same. This orientation is now also included in the CSV file. The plane type/orientation also changes how records are plotted in the main stereonet plotter.
There are also some improvements to the stereonet plotter UI, as well as the ability to import as well as export from the GMail & Google Drive apps (and others).

Full changes:

-v1.6 21-06-12
-Renamed the normal orientation logging mode to planar.
This orientation is now included in the CSV, in the format planar:<planetype> or axial:<planetype>
-Added the option to display a live stereonet plot while logging. Displays as a plane when logging in planar orientation mode, and as a pole when in axial (paid only)
-Improvements to the stereonet UI, including better freehand plot buttons, plotting of the average by default, and warning messages when attempting to plot conflicting plane types
-You can now import logs directly from the GMail or Google Drive app (must have extension ‘.dips.csv‘). You can also send records to Goolge Drive
via the ‘Send log’ function in Rocklogger (renamed from ‘Email log’)
-Saving using the last known location will try the GPS location if the fix is less than 1 hour old, then try the Network location if it is less than 15 minutes old
-Phone now vibrates to alert when a GPS fix is first found